A Parkour Game About Net Neutrality Arises, This Is Why It's Worth Playing

The FCC has officially begun the war on Net Neutrality, which is a program in place since 2015 that provides a balanced Internet service for everyone, and protects consumers from providers gouging costs for specific site utilisation. The vote came down to the final 3-2, but the fight is not yet over! There are still many more steps that must be successfully completed before Net Neutrality is officially disbanded. As we mentioned in our earlier coverage, many can't help but to feel a little defeated by the vote earlier this week. However, the fight isn't over yet and people are finding creative ways to raise awareness.

There's a parkour game created by a group of students called 4040sight and it's an interactive experience that goes shows off the concept of data throttling and why a lot of the real dangers are seemingly overlooked should the motion to repeal pass. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. The game is actually really fun in its quirkiness and balances entertainment with information quite nicely.

According to the game's Steam listing:

"404Sight is a free game made in support of net neutrality. It's a 3D playground runner influenced by parkour running with the addition of a special ping ability that reveals areas that can speed the player up or slow them down. Hidden fast and slow lanes become visible, so it takes a bit of planning to plot a course through a world full of hazards – especially when the internet service providers themselves are actively trying to impede the player's progress.

In 404sight, the player attempts to traverse a level as quickly as possible without getting throttled by the ISPs, who actively throws slow tiles and inhibitors in their way."

So far the reviews have been "very positive" with over a thousand reviews to back it up. The game itself originally came out in 2015, which shows that the protection of this protection in place is not something that just came out of the blue. Net Neutrality wasn't always there, but with it in place - companies could not take advantage of consumer interest for a service that is technically "free."

4040sight was made by Retro Yeti Games, a team of graduate students currently enrolled in the Entertainment Arts and Engineering program at the University of Utah. More information can be found at https://eae.utah.edu/. The best part? It's free!